DRIVE IN - John LaBonney

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/102/story/831093.html
Biz Buzz: Sunset Drive-In owner to reopen Barstow theater
He will lease or operate the facility himself; only 26 remain in the state today

The owner of San Luis Obispo’s Sunset Drive-In says he’ll reopen a similar theater in Barstow — one of the few remaining drive-ins in California — after its operator closed it, citing falling ticket sales.
Larry Rodkey — who owns the Skyline Drive-In in the high-desert city — was showing the property Wednesday to people interested in leasing it, the Daily Press in Victorville reported on Thursday.
Randy Shull leased the drive-in movie theater from Rodkey for four years but closed it on Aug. 16. Rodkey could reopen it by mid-September, the newspaper reported.
“I’m either going to release it or open it myself,” Rodkey told the Daily Press.
Shull, who also works at Napa Auto Parts, said he went to Barstow from San Luis Obispo to manage the drive-in at Rodkey’s request.
Business at Skyline Drive-In was poor during his first year as manager, Shull told the newspaper, but he said it took off during the second year. The second screen was installed in 2000, Shull said, doubling the theater’s business.
“We never looked back until 2008,” he said, adding that work will be done to the theater’s screens, and the drive-in will have a new paint job before it reopens. “It’s a good little drive-in.”
Sunset Drive-In opened in 1950, and it is now one of 26 drive-ins left in California — which had a peak of 223 in 1967 — according to aficionado Web site DriveInTheater.com.
— Antonio A. Prado
 
Awesome info bro it just so happens some friends of ours are very good friends of the owner and i am working on getting the location as we speak...
 
Mark Johnson said:
LaBonney, how's it hanging? I hear you're going balls-out on this one. Cool!
Click to expand...

Well Mark thanks for checking in, I hope things are well. We're actually trying to keep it simple, but in never seems to go that way for some reason. I sometimes wish I could come up with a genius idea like Lost at Sea which just seemed so simple to film with just a single interior location and one camera setup. But regardless I'm sure I'll learn a lot as always.

John
 
And by the way, would you CA guys please put out the wildfires already? The smoke is killing us here in Las Vegas (makes for nice diffused sunlight though).
 
I'm going to have to scrap this project. Time, money, and a bunch of other factors played a role in what has been a difficult summer for me. Thanks to everyone for their support, we'll see if we can come back in the next one. Best of luck to all the entrants!

John
 
Sorry to hear that John :-(
Was it the drive in location that broke the camels back for you?
-T
 
I was lookin' forward to yours (a drive-inn would have been a great location), but I understand. Catch you on the next one.
 
TMerry said:
Sorry to hear that John :-(
Was it the drive in location that broke the camels back for you?
-T
Click to expand...

ZazaCast said:
Sorry to hear this John... I LOVE the script! Hope you still make the film one day.
Click to expand...

Location was certainly an issue, but probably not the straw that broke the camel's back. It could have been overcome, but I think the truth of it is that I haven't had a story that I was as enthusiastic about as Barn Dance and I don't want to do a film half-heartedly. We'll see about the next fest, but I'll shoot my next one when the story and time are right.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top